Ontario County schools paying the price for healthy lunches

In many Ontario County schools, the ring of the lunch bell doesn’t seem to inspire the same kind of excitement it once did.

Some administrators say since the Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 — aimed at requiring schools to provide healthier food options to students — was implemented, their cafeteria coffers are much lighter.

In some districts, that number is substantial. In the Canandaigua school district, 31,000 fewer lunches were served in the 2012-13 school year than in previous years — and the district had an $83,000 deficit last school year.

“The only factor that changed from the previous years was the new federal guidelines in terms of what the nutritional content should be in the meals we serve,” said Mark Lavner, assistant superintendent for personnel and support services.

The Healthy Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 was created to combat the epidemic of obese children in America. Schools that receive federal funding are required to provide meals with fresh vegetables and fruits, whole grains and lean proteins, and all-natural products that have no artificial colors or flavors.

Since the program was implemented in fall 2012, school districts have struggled with the higher costs of the approved food, lack of student participation and figuring out what can’t be served.

To keep things lean, portions got smaller. Also, schools had to charge more to bring lunch prices in line with what the government pays for reimbursement for free meals.

Bottom line: many kids got less food, with more things on their tray they didn’t like and all that cost more to school districts.

“This is what happens when people sit behind a desk and make up all these rules,” said Dorrie Dunham, food service director for the Red Jacket schools.

However, boosters say they expect the program to improve with time.

“Everything is a work in progress,” said Diane Pratt-Heavner, School Nutrition Association spokeswoman. “We’re seeing schools doing a lot of experimenting and making adjustments to their menus to make sure kids are liking the healthier options and really encouraging them to try new things.”

Educators hope the program will teach the students good eating habits.

“The healthier the kids are in their diets and in their physical activity, the better they’re prepared to focus and sit down in class,” Pratt-Heavner said.

Nationally, 33 million American children are served each day through the school lunch program, about 1.5 million in New York State, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), which administers the school lunch programs.

Working with new regulation

Many local food-service directors say kids have walked away from cafeteria lines.

Red Jacket's Dunham said sales are down 6 percent due to the new guidelines. “The kids see less food and more fruits and vegetables," she said. "Serving unfamiliar food and charging more for it – it did have an impact.”

Page 2 of 3 - Janet Elman, director of school food service at Victor, reports a decrease of 4 percent for the year. “Before, we were always increasing. All of a sudden we saw a decrease,” she said. “This year, it’s starting to look like things are picking up, but September was as low as it’s been in a long time. We’re down at least 200 meals a day.”

Midlakes Superintendent Mike Ford said his district is a bit different.

“We don’t believe the new school lunch requirements had much of a difference in our sales at all,” Ford said. “The numbers appear to be very, very close, year-to-year.”

Bringing in fruit, vegetables

School food service directors have faced another set of problems. When the new regulations came out, buying patterns had to change.

“Not only is there lower participation,” said Dunham, “but we have to buy red vegetables, green vegetables and orange vegetables — and fruit. Our produce bill has tripled, which adds to our deficit. Whole grains are also more expensive.

“The USDA had no idea what this was going to do to vendors and suppliers who served all the schools. It was a really big scramble not only for us, but for our vendors.”

Dunham added that at first, what came through those vendors wasn’t as tasty, and more students decided not to eat at school.

In Canandaigua, Lavner’s staff has used ongoing surveys to find out what changes students can stomach.

“We’ve continued to refine our menus to offer some food items that would still satisfy but also meet the federal requirements,” he said. “The feedback we got from our students was they were not getting enough food, so students were buying a second lunch or bringing in their own snacks or bigger lunches from home. In that first year, the size of a square of pizza looked substantially different from what they saw the previous year. The size satisfied the nutritional requirements, but it wasn’t enough."

Lavner said the participation numbers in Canandaigua this year “are up slightly from last year.”

He noted that the USDA has changed some parameters, lifting the limit on the amount of grain and protein that can be offered. As a result, bigger, more “normal” portions have made somewhat of a comeback.

“We’ve worked with our food vendors to make sure they’re offering products that are appetizing and appealing while meeting the federal requirements," he said.

The issue is statewide. Elman said a recent survey done by the New York State School Nutrition Association, with 40 percent of the school districts responding, showed 24 percent of food service programs didn’t lose any money last year; 30 percent lost less than $25,000; 15 percent lost between $25,000 and $50,000; 10 percent lost between $50,000 and $75,000; 19 percent lost more than $75,000.

Page 3 of 3 - Moving forward

Elman is cautiously optimistic about things turning around. Elementary students seem to be getting accustomed to the new menus, she said, and it’s hoped they’ll take good habits into their high school years.

Still, human nature is human nature. “Overall, students really do have a poor acceptance of new food patterns,” Elman said. “In the elementary it’s okay; in the secondary schools it’s more of a challenge. Some schools have had to cut staff and cut hours. We’re still holding our own.”

Elman feels some of the decrease in participation has been due to the economy, and negative scuttlebutt about the new school lunch program. “I think a lot of people got worked up, got negative thoughts in their minds.”

Additionally, Dunham has found that her role has expanded as educator.

“We’ve got better acceptance in the elementary grades. It’s a lot easier to help them get used to new things. We introduced cantaloupe last month: a lot of kids had never eaten cantaloupe before and it turns out they loved it.”

“We feel really good about what we’re doing. All our schools in the Finger Lakes feed our children very well,” Dunham said. “Our breakfasts and lunches are the most properly portioned meals that many of our kids get during the day. We aren’t the ones that are making our children fat. We served fruits and vegetables five years ago … now we serve them more.”